Obi’s exit from ADC an evasion of responsibility, says Analyst

By Omeiza Ajayi

ABUJA: Public affairs analyst, Babajide Balogun, has described the latest political move of a former Governor of Anambra state, Mr Peter Obi, specifically his departure from the African Democratic Congress ADC, as evasion of responsibility dressed up as principle.

He accused Obi of a recurring pattern of flight from democratic contest which he said was incompatible with genuine presidential ambition.

Obi announced his defection from the ADC on Sunday, citing internal disagreements and related concerns. Balogun, reacting to the development, argued that the exit was neither principled nor surprising — only consistent.

“Obi’s recurring retreat from political combat raises a troubling question: if he cannot endure the contest within a party, how will he withstand the storms of governance Leadership demands spine, not escape routes. It demands conviction, not convenience”, he said.

The analyst traced what he described as a damaging arc in Obi’s political journey, anchoring his critique in the 2023 general election.

He contended that the Peoples Democratic Party PDP had been well-positioned to reclaim the presidency on the back of its 2019 momentum, only for Obi’s last-minute exit to shatter the opposition’s prospects.

What could have been a straight fight between two major tendencies, Balogun argued, became a fragmented three-way contest that eased the path for President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress APC.

“When the final chapter of Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency is written, history will not be kind to Peter Obi. It will record — plainly and without sentiment — that his political choices helped fracture a winnable opposition and paved the way for the very outcome his supporters now lament”, he said.

Balogun then turned to events within the ADC, where former Vice President Atiku Abubakar had sought to consolidate a broad opposition coalition ahead of 2027.

He praised the coalition framework as a strategic masterstroke but argued that Obi’s camp had corroded it from within.

According to the analyst, Obi’s faction rejected consensus arrangements, attacked the process when it did not yield the desired outcomes, and recoiled from direct primaries — widely regarded as the most democratic available mechanism — the moment it became apparent that grassroots popularity would be put to a genuine test.

“What followed was a relentless ‘Obi or Nothing’ crusade — an ideological straitjacket that turned allies into targets and reduced coalition politics to personality worship. This is not the conduct of a statesman; it is the reflex of a political opportunist unwilling to submit to scrutiny”, he stated.

He drew a pointed contrast between Obi and two other major figures in the coalition — Atiku and former Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi — both of whom, he noted, had submitted themselves to the pressures of competitive primaries.

“Obi, by his telling, had instead cultivated a habit: whenever the political temperature climbed, he reached for the exit.

“Leadership is not conferred by online adulation or emotional fervour — it is earned in the arena, through contest, resilience, and the capacity to withstand pressure,” Balogun said.

The analyst warned that if Obi departed the ADC coalition again, no justification would hold. The system, he said, had not failed Obi. It had simply required him to earn his place — and that demand alone appeared to be sufficient to drive him out.

“The pattern is unmistakable: evade contest, seek coronation, and when denied, cry foul. Democracy is not a sanctuary for the faint-hearted. It is a battleground of ideas, strength, and legitimacy. A man who aspires to be Commander-in-Chief must first prove he can command within his own political camp. To seek the highest office without passing through the crucible of internal democracy is not strategy — it is surrender”, he stated.

Balogun insisted that Nigeria’s opposition needed fighters, not escape artists, and that voters deserved a great deal more than what Obi’s trajectory had so far offered.

The post Obi’s exit from ADC an evasion of responsibility, says Analyst appeared first on Vanguard News.